Bath & North East Somerset Council - Death - Registering

Death - Registering

Where can a death be registered?

A death that occurred in Bath and North East Somerset can be registered at Guildhall, High Street, Bath BA1 5AW or The Hollies High Street, Midsomer Norton BA3 2DT.  Please telephone our Bath office on 01225 477234 to arrange an appointment at either location.

 In the Guildhall in Bath by appointment.

Monday 9.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m.
Tuesday 9.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m.
Wednesday 10.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m.
Thursday 9.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m.
Friday 9.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m.

In The Hollies, Midsomer Norton by appointment.

Monday - Friday: 9.00 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.

Please telephone 01225 477234 for an appointment.

If you need to arrange an urgent burial on religious grounds you can call us outside office hours on 01225 477337.

 

Registration by Declaration

If the death occurred outside of Bath and North East Somerset but you wish to attend either of our offices you may register the death by declaration. This is where the information given by the informant is recorded by the Registrar on a prescribed form and then sent on to the Registration district in which the death occurred.

The death is then recorded in their register and any certificates you ordered along with the forms for the Department of Work and Pensions and your Funeral Directors are issued and posted on to you. Please telephone us for further details of what is required and bear in mind that there will be a couple of days delay in getting the paperwork if you choose to register by declaration.

Conversely you can also register by declaration in an office that is local to you if your relative passed away in Bath and North East Somerset.

If you would like to take advantage of the "Tell Us Once" scheme whereby you can notify local authority/ government departments of a death at the time of registration please click on the highlighted link for more information.

Who can register a death?

In order of preference:

  • A relative present at the death
  • A relative present during the last illness
  • A relative living in the registration district.
  • A person present at the death.
  • The occupier of the premises where the death occurred (if aware of the death happening)
  • The person arranging the funeral (not the undertaker).

 Being the executor of the will does not qualify you as an informant; you must fit into one of the other categories to register. It is a statutory requirement that a death be registered within five days.

 

Certificates

At the appointment you will usually be issued with a green form for the Funeral Director and a white form called a BD8 for the Department of work and Pensions. Both of these documents will be issued free of charge. You may obtain certified copies of the entry (the documents known generally as death certificates) after registration. They are £4.00 each and you can purchase as many as you need. They may be required for:

  • banks or building societies        
  • probate        
  • insurance companies        
  • stocks and shares        
  • solicitor        
  • private pensions        
  • post office accounts

Please note: certificates issued on the day of registration are £4.00 from then on the fee will be £7 per certificate until the register is completed. When it is completed and handed in to the custody of the Superintendent Registrar a certificate will cost £10.

What the Registrar will need to know

  • The name/s of the deceased. 
  • The date and place of death.
  • Date and place of birth.
  • Last full time occupation.
  • The name and occupation of the spouse (where applicable).
  • The date of birth of surviving spouse.

 

Customer Survey

Here at the Bath Register Office we aim to uphold the highest standards of customer care. If you have recently used our service we would be grateful if you could spare a few minutes to complete our customer survey (link below). Your feedback will help us identify what we are doing right and where there is room for improvement.

Thank you in advance for your time and if you have any specific complaints/complements please email us at the email address at the foot of the page.

Customer Survey

Contact Details for this page:
Team:
Registration Service
Address:
Bath Register Office, Guildhall, High Street, Bath BA1 5AW
Phone:
01225 477234
Fax:
01225 477293
Minicom:
n/a
Author:
Anna Fussell
 
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